With April comes the start of baseball season — and, for anyone not in the loop, National Soft
Pretzel Month.

The connection seems fitting, given the elevated status of the snack at U.S. ballparks.

The history of pretzels, of course, dates from well before that of baseball.

Hard pretzels are traced to ancient times, according to
FoodTimeline.org, a website that gathers food
history.

As early as A.D. 600, the site states, scraps of bread dough twisted into the well-known pretzel
shape were said to have been created at monasteries in France and given to children as rewards for
learning Bible lessons.

The shape, some people say, represents hands folded in prayer. Other traditions maintain that
the three holes suggest the Trinity of Christian churches.

From a practical standpoint, pretzels became popular because they lasted longer than soft-baked
bread.

Annual sales of hard pretzels top $180 million nowadays — right behind potato chips, according
to the Snack Food Association.

Soft-baked pretzels enjoy an especially soft spot in American hearts.

First noted as a Philadelphia street food in the early 1800s, they emerged as little more than
soft-baked versions of their crunchy cousins.The key to achieving the beloved chewy texture:
boiling the dough — preferably in an alkaline mixture — before baking the pretzels.

Some bakers use food-grade lye for the hot dip, but less adventurous cooks let simple baking
soda make the solution alkaline.